Shortcuts & Automation

Control Utter from other apps with macOS completion commands, URL schemes, and iOS Shortcuts

Use automation to send Utter output to other apps, start or stop recording, and build hands-free workflows.

iOS Shortcuts

Use iOS Shortcuts to start or stop recording without opening Utter.

Fastest setup: use this ready-made shortcut

Start/stop recording with one button and copy to clipboard

This shortcut is the easiest way to use Utter hands-free:

• Press once to start recording.
• Press the same button or trigger again to stop recording.
• The transcript is copied to your clipboard automatically.
• You do not need to open Utter or the Shortcuts app.

Bind it to an iPhone trigger like Action Button or Back Tap (double tap on the back of your phone) for quick one-button dictation.

Available Utter Shortcut Actions

Shortcut Action	Optional Mode Parameter	Behavior
Start Recording	Yes	Starts recording. If Mode is not set, Utter uses the last used mode.
Stop Recording	No	Stops recording and completes transcription.
Toggle Recording	Yes	Starts or stops recording with one action. If Mode is not set, Utter uses the last used mode.

macOS Completion Commands

On macOS, each mode can run a completion command after transcription finishes.

Use completion commands when you want Utter to send the final transcript to another app or script automatically. For example, you can append each finished dictation to your Obsidian daily note with the Obsidian CLI.

Completion commands run shell commands on your Mac. Only use commands you trust.

Add a Completion Command

1. Open Home

   In Utter, go to Home.

2. Edit a Mode

   Select the mode you want to automate.

3. Open Completion Command

   In Output, open Completion command and click Edit.

4. Enter a Command

   Add the shell command you want Utter to run after transcription.

5. Test and Save

   Click Test, then click Save.

What to expect: After that mode finishes transcribing, Utter runs the command using /bin/zsh -lc.

Available Variables

Use these variables in your command:

Variable	Meaning
$UTTER_TRANSCRIPT_OUTPUT	Final saved transcript output.
$UTTER_ORIGINAL_TRANSCRIPT_OUTPUT	Original transcript text when the final output is enhanced; otherwise empty.

Example: Append to Obsidian

obsidian daily --append-content=$UTTER_TRANSCRIPT_OUTPUT

Dictation Controls

Control recording with these URLs:

Action	URL
Start recording	utter://dictation/start
Stop recording	utter://dictation/stop
Pause recording	utter://dictation/pause
Cancel recording	utter://dictation/cancel

Mode Switching

Switch to a specific mode:

utter://mode/set/{mode-name}

Mode names are converted to lowercase kebab-case (for example, Voice to Text becomes voice-to-text):

Mode Name	URL
Obsidian Notes	utter://mode/set/obsidian-notes
Email	utter://mode/set/email
Voice to Text	utter://mode/set/voice-to-text

Usage Examples

Terminal

open "utter://dictation/start"

Shortcuts.app

1. Add Open URLs Action

   Add an Open URLs action.

2. Enter Utter URL

   Enter a Utter URL (for example, utter://dictation/start).

3. Run Shortcut

   Run the shortcut to trigger Utter.

What to expect: Utter runs the matching action immediately when the shortcut is executed.

If that did not work: Confirm Utter is installed and currently running before triggering the URL.

Raycast / Alfred

Create a script or workflow that opens the URL:

open "utter://mode/set/email"
open "utter://dictation/start"

Keyboard Maestro

Use the Open URL action with any Utter deep link to trigger it from a macro.